Profit from Spreading the Wealth

Last Tuesday on Travel Pulse, James Ruggia wrote a very good column entitled “Getting Beyond London and Spreading the Wealth.” He also quoted a very important statistic which confirmed that 60 percent of North American visitors are returnees.

You can play your part and profit from encouraging your anglophile frequent UK travellers to spend more time in the countryside. As you may be unfamiliar with some of the places they ask for, by following Britain Insider you’ll begin to see how many of these destinations provide the product solutions that can be customized into imaginative itineraries for independent travellers, families and small niche market groups. Helping to “spread the wealth” away from London will also generate some valuable extra commission.

I’m illustrating the point by focusing on the cathedral city of Guildford which you might overlook as it’s quite close to London. It’s about 45 minutes from Heathrow and about the same from Gatwick and a great place to park jetlag for 2-3 nights. It’s also a very good hub for Southampton- and Dover-arriving cruise clients who know London well and who want something a little different.

If you’re thinking of developing a value added garden tour for next year’s Chelsea or Hampton Court Flower Shows, Guildford also makes a terrific base for a pre- or post-show tour that includes:

• The extensive and internationally renowned garden at Wisley, the undisputed flagship for the Royal Horticultural Society. Allow 3-4 hours for the visit. There’s a great deal to see.
• Claremont, one of the oldest and most important historic landscapes in the country.
• Painshill Park, contemporary with the superb 18th century gardens at Stourhead and Stowe.
• The fine examples of Gertrude Jekyll’s gardening style at Munstead Wood and Vann.
• Privately owned gardens which open as part of the National Garden Scheme.
• The delightful Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden
• Elizabethan Loseley Park, home of the More-Molyneux family for over 500 years.
• Privately owned gems that open infrequently as part of the National Garden Scheme

Add in a pub lunch here, an English afternoon tea there and a privately guided tour of the magnificent modern Guildford Cathedral plus Choral Evensong and you have something very special to put before your gardening contacts. There’s enough here to fill Monday to Thursday before heading into London for a day at either the Chelsea or Hampton Court Flower Show and a couple of days of shopping, sightseeing and theatre.

The above collection can be tailored to meet the interests of cruise clients but for those with an interest in stately homes, gardens, the arts and music I can strongly recommend the following combinations:

• A morning visit to the wonderful art collections at the Watts Gallery and the nearby Watts Chapel, an Arts and Crafts masterpiece. The afternoon will be at Loseley Park touring the house, strolling in the beautiful garden and enjoying an English afternoon tea.
• A tour of the Palladian Clandon Park where the porcelain collection will take your breath away and an afternoon at nearby Hatchlands Park, an intimate mansion and home to the Cobbe Collection of musical instruments including pianos owned by Mozart, Bizet and Elgar. The audio tour really brings this unique experience to life.
• For clients who are motoring enthusiasts, they’ll be very glad you added Brooklands to the itinerary. It’s the world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit, constructed in 1907 and was the birthplace of British motorsport and aviation, home of Concorde and the site of many engineering and technological achievements throughout eight decades of the 20th century.

Where to stay? A personal recommendation is the Mandolay Hotel (no relation to the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas) a very comfortable 72 bedroom hotel just off the city centre and an ideal base for the itineraries suggested above.

For a complete overview of the Guilford area check out www.guildford.gov.uk/visitguildford